The Road to Avalon 2: Picking Strawberries
by Linorien
Summary: The next installment of my reincarnation series, as per request. This follows Lancelot as he comes back to life. Again.
1. Chapter 1

He woke when his boat hit sand and stopped moving. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking in the noon sun. As he sat up, he took in his surroundings. He appeared to have been lying in a bed of grass and flowers. It was like a boat you would send off a loved one in when they died. But he wasn't dead, was he?

He had remembered stepping into the black void to sacrifice himself for Arthur, but that wouldn't explain the boat. He searched his memory some more.

Then, like a dark secret, he recalled the next part. Morgana had brought a shade of his former self back to steal Gwen from Arthur. He had struggled but he couldn't fight her overbearing powers. It had been Merlin, at last, but still too late, that had set him free. Just before he died once more, he felt Morgana's influence being lifted and regaining control of his body just before he died. Thus the boat. He remembered Merlin laying him in a boat and pushing him out into the lake.

It still didn't explain why he was alive again. He felt no presence in his mind. Deciding the only way to find out was to explore, he climbed out of the boat. Well, he tried to, but his legs, weak from disuse, gave out beneath him and he fell into the cold water. Crawling feebly onto the land, he rested against the closet tree.

Regaining his breath, he used the tree to haul himself to his feet. Shakily, he walked back to the boat and grabbed his sword to use as a temporary staff. As long as it was in its sheath it should provide good support without damaging the weapon. Unsteadily, he began walking away from the water, hopefully toward a friendly village.

"Oh my God, are you alright?" An older woman set down her basket and hurried over to him. She took his free arm and out it over her shoulder to help support him.

"I'm alright," he replied. "Just weak and a bit confused. What village is this?"

"Oh, hon," she crooned. "Come back with me and I will get you taken care of." Together they slowly made their way back to her house. It wasn't too long before they reached her quaint little house. It was a white house with a light blue front door that they walked through before she sat him down at the kitchen table.

"I started tea before I went out so it should be ready for you shortly. Now, you just sit here and I'll get you anything you need."

"Thank you my lady."

"Oh please, just call me Heather."

"Thank you, Heather. I am Lancelot."

"Named after Arthur's knight, were you?" Lancelot was confused, but he decided that sometime had passed since he last died so he simply agreed with her version. And from looking around the house while she fussed in the kitchen, he guessed that it had been a very long time indeed. There were incredibly lifelike drawings in frames above the fireplace and everywhere there were tiny lights. There were also many strange containers that hummed and Lancelot started to wonder if she was a sorceress.

"Here you go." She set down the tea in front of him in a coffee mug that read 'Gone Fishing' in green letters. He took a tentative sip and smiled as the warm drink slid down his throat. "That should help you get some strength in those bones of yours. Now when you are good and ready, why don't you tell me how you got here."

Lancelot knew that saying he seemed to have been raised from the dead would not end up well. So he settled for saying that he woke up in a small boat and couldn't remember how he got there.

"Maybe you were in a ship wreck and you hit your head." She looked him over. "I don't see any bumps on your head, but maybe it hasn't shown up just yet. You do look like you could be a sailor though." Looking down at his ruffled white shirt and knee length trousers, Lancelot almost agreed with her deduction.

"That is a good explanation." Though in reality, Lancelot knew he had no sea legs and was much better at riding horses.

"In the morning I will call in a missing persons report," Heather was saying. "Can you remember anything else that might help? Any names?"

"Perhaps, though I am not sure how much would help?" He paused to get a false story straight that could both help him and sound believable to her. "I seem to recall a man with short dark hair who was about my height. The name that comes to mind is Merlin." Heather looked skeptical at this. "It may have been a nickname but that is all I can remember."

"Well, there have been police reports filed on much less. But until someone you know finds you, I will take care of you. But first, you look like you need some food and some rest."


	2. Chapter 2

Lancelot had been living with Heather for a week now. He was swiftly regaining his strength and helping Heather around the house. He quickly learned that he enjoyed eating strawberries fresh of the bush, and that Heather scolded him for doing so. He also learned to work the mysterious contraptions in the kitchen. He learned that the microwave could cook food without a fire and that the fridge could keep things cold without using ice. He was convinced that this was sorcery, but when he asked her she laughed. Over supper one night, she asked why he had a sword with him.

"I found it with me in the boat. I do not know whether it is mine or not, but it helped me so I may keep it." He had realized by now that swords were on longer common objects and it was rare to have one.

"It seems like a fine blade," she said uncertainly. "It would be a shame to get rid of it."

A few days later, when Lancelot was out walking in the woods, the police called saying someone had seen the report and claimed to know him. Heather quickly told them her address and hurried to share the good news with Lancelot.

"Lancelot!" she called out.

"What is it Heather?" He hurried out of the woods, fearing that something was wrong.

"The police called and there is someone who says he knows you!"

"Is it Merlin?" he asked.

"The police didn't say, but he should be here in a few hours and you can see. Maybe he can fill in the details of what happened." Heather gave him a surprise hug. "Oh, I'm so happy for you."

Later that day, Merlin strode into the clearing looking like a typical man in his young twenties. With black jeans, a red t-shirt, and a thin blue scarf around his neck, Lancelot hardly recognized him.

"Lancelot!" Merlin called out as soon as he saw him.

"Merlin, is that really you?" He came and gave the sorcerer a bone-crushing hug.

"Can't breathe," Merlin croaked with a grin. "What story did you tell her, so that I don't mess it up," he whispered.

"She thinks I was a sailor and I hit my head during a shipwreck and lost my memory. I could remember your name though," he whispered back.

"Good one." He turned to speak with Heather. "Heather, did I hear your name was?"

"Yes," she replied. "And you are the one who he called Merlin?"

"Indeed. Or at least he called me that when we were younger. I have heard that memory loss can sometimes bring up long ago memories and place them with the recent ones."

"What should I call you then?"

"You can call me Matthew. I was the captain of our ship. It was only a small vessel though. I'm glad Lancelot found his way to you."

"He was very helpful." Lancelot had gathered up his clothes and his sword and joined them. "I'll miss having your help. "

"And I will miss helping you, Heather." He gave a slight bow. "You have been most kind."

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, Heather," Merlin dug in his pocket and pulled out a small card. "If you hear rumors of any other men who are acting strange or confused, give me a ring." She took the card and glanced at it before placing it in her pocket.

"Wait, before you leave." She hurried into the house and came out with a small jam jar. "It wouldn't be fair to let you leave without some of the fruit of your labors. This is some of the strawberry jam I made with the berries you picked. I figure since you seem to like the berries so much, you would enjoy the jam."

"Thank you very much, Heather." He accepted the gift with his normal grace. "I hope to see you again and tell you how much I enjoyed it."

"I don't know if you will, but it was a pleasure to meet you all the same," Heather replied as they turned to leave.

"Don't worry, Lancelot will be seeing you again before too long," Merlin called over his shoulder mysteriously, and with that, they were into the trees.

Merlin led the way to the road where he had parked his car. It was a screaming red corvette that looked like it might growl at you. Lancelot eyed it with suspicion.

"What it that?" he demanded, pointing at the car.

"It is a new type of carriage." He opened the door for Lancelot. "Hop in." On the car ride, Merlin explained the long time jump and reassured Lancelot that nothing was taking control of his body this time. He continued to explain some of the more obscure things about the modern world but was glad the time had not yet come when he had to reveal his magic to the other knights. It was hard enough telling Arthur. Lancelot, like Mordred, did not seem surprised to find him alive and well. He of course asked after Gwen and wanted to know how Camelot was after he died.

"There were problems at first, but it all worked out," Merlin said calmly as he swerved in the rush hour traffic, possibly using some magic to make the way faster. "Gwen and Arthur married and peacefully ruled Camelot together for a while. Unsurprisingly, Morgana ended up declaring all out war on Camelot and nearly succeeded. Arthur died, Mordred died, Gawain died, actually, most of the knights died. Only Leon survived to help Gwen ruling Camelot by herself. She did a wonderful job too. She made Camelot a beautiful place to live and loosened the ban on practicing magic." Lancelot took a minute to process this.

"Did she have any children?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," he replied. "Arthur was able to give her a son before he died, though he didn't live to see it."

"So their line continued. Is it still unbroken? How far in the future did you say we were?"

"Almost two thousand years. The Pendragon line still survives; I have kept careful watch on them. It is strange, there have only ever been one child born each generation." They pondered this in silence, Lancelot wondering what it would be like to meet Gwen's great-great-however-many-greats-children. If it's a girl, would they look like her? Would the men resemble Arthur? Merlin was off on his own train of thoughts, thinking about how he would eventually tell Arthur's descendants that all of this is true. He had tried to leave his fingerprints on history, hidden so that none but Arthur's heirs would know he was still watching over them. And with the other part of his mind, he was manipulating traffic to make their trip to the cave faster.


	3. Chapter 3

Merlin pulled up the car next to a simple fishing hut around nine o' clock. He leaned over to show Lancelot how to open the door and they both got out. Merlin led the way down the lane to the cave. Once again, he illuminated the cave to light their way.

"I never got the chance to ask you," Lancelot began. "Is there any way you could teach me how to do that?" Merlin stopped in his tracks and stared at him. "Or if that would be too hard, a simpler spell?"

"Oh, the basics of this are quite easy, but I'm not sure if I can teach it to someone who does not have magic to begin with." He continued walking forward again. "I've never had anyone ask me." He pondered that until they reached the barrier. Merlin kept walking, but Lancelot was stopped by the invisible wall.

"Merlin!" Lancelot drew his sword, worrying that some evil magic was separating him to lure Merlin into a trap. Merlin turned in confusion which morphed into a smile.

"Sheath your sword, it's alright." Merlin walked back to Lancelot. "It's a barrier I put up to keep the townsfolk and other explorers out of my home. If you take my hand you should pass through just fine." He grabbed Merlin's outstretched hand and they walked through the barrier. "There." They let go. "Welcome to my home."

Lancelot walked in and looked around in amazement at the variety of wonders in the cave. Some of the contraptions he recognized from Heather's house and some were new.

"We will spend the night here." Merlin walked over to the wall and opened his closet. "There are clothes for you in here." Lancelot walked in and quickly changed into a white v-neck t-shirt and dark blue jeans. Merlin nodded his approval.

"I've found them to be comfortable," Lancelot said uncertainly.

"They look good." He held up his other clothes, unsure of where to put them. "Leave the dirty ones on the floor."

"They clean themselves?" Lancelot guessed.

"Yea, you actually gave me the idea when you suggested that I get rid of that stain in Arthur's shirt using magic. I haven't actually washed clothes in a very long time."

Before sunrise, Merlin woke, got dressed in his semi-formal wear, and instructed Lancelot to do the same. He was hardly surprised to see Merlin with a band of silver on his head; he actually looked proud of his friend. They silently got into the boat, only a little wobbling from Lancelot, and they set sail. It was some time before Lancelot woke up enough to ask where they were going.

"I am taking you to Avalon." This didn't explain much. "It's a haven of magic. It is sort of timeless. Nearly everyone there has magic. It is where I took Mordred and where I think I will take all of you as you come back to life." Lancelot still found that thought chilling. "Mordred has a place for all the knights to stay and train." Lancelot nodded and returned to his normal silence. As they sailed, they could see the sun rising behind them and the sky brightening. But just as soon as the full disk could be seen over the horizon, it began sinking again. Lancelot could tolerate a lot of magic without question, but this was messing with the order of the world. This was the sun.

"'Merlin, why in the name of all that is good in this world, is the sun going back down again?" he demanded.

"The simple answer is that we are no longer in the same world as you were moments ago." Merlin grinned like a child finally sharing a well kept secret. "We have crossed into the world of the fae."

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**A/N: If anyone has ideas for what should happen when Arthur comes back, let a review ro send me a PM. I am currently writing all the other knights stories so all of them will be there.**


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